Iraq's Kurdish party leader denounces Iranian attacks on Erbil as 'oppression'

By Bekir Aydogan

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) – The Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) leader on Tuesday strongly condemned overnight Iranian strikes in Erbil, Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) capital, calling them a clear form of oppression.

Masoud Barzani said in a statement that they can no longer remain silent in the face of injustice and oppression.

Barzani emphasized that Erbil has been the target of missile and drone attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated forces since 2020 and that these attacks constitute "clear oppression" against the Iraqi Kurdish people in the region.

He claimed that those who carried out these attacks wanted to hide their own problems, saying, "Those who organize attacks on Erbil and those behind this crime know very well that their claims have no basis."

The KDP leader emphasized that this attack was a crime and that an innocent family had been collectively murdered.

"Our patience now has a limit. This attack is neither honorable nor courageous. My words here are for the Iranian people. I have always respected the Iranian people. We have always extended a hand of friendship and brotherhood," he said.

"There is nothing to be proud of in killing our women, children, and civilians. You can kill us, but rest assured, you cannot break our will," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in a statement that it launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at a "gathering of anti-Iran terrorist groups" in Syria, referring to Daesh/ISIS, as well as a building in northern Iraq's Erbil allegedly belonging to Israel's spy agency Mossad.

It said four missiles from Iran's western region and seven more from the northwest region were launched at the alleged Mossad headquarters in Erbil, northern Iraq.

It added that 24 missiles were fired at targets in Iraq and Syria, including four "Khaibar Shikan" missiles launched from Khuzestan at Daesh/ISIS targets in Syria's Idlib region.

Nine other missiles of various types were launched at locations of other "terrorist groups" in Syria, according to the statement.